Poitín
Encyclopedia
Poitín ˈpˠotʲiːn, anglicised as poteen, is a traditional Irish
distilled
, highly alcoholic
beverage
(60%-95% ABV
). Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still
and the term is a diminutive of the Irish
word pota, meaning "pot". Traditionally distilled from malted barley
grain or potato
es, it is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world, and for centuries was illegal in Ireland
.
, along with all other private distillation not specifically licensed by the state, was outlawed in 1661. On 7 March 1997, the Irish Revenue Commissioners
withdrew their opposition to poitín being sold under license in the Republic of Ireland
. Production for export has been allowed since 1989. Poitín remains illegal in Northern Ireland
however. In 2008, Irish Poitín was accorded (GI) Geographical Indicative Status
by the EU
Council
and Parliament
.
Today, two distilleries in Ireland are officially licensed to produce poitín: Bunratty Mead and Liqueuer, and Knockeen Hills Poteen. Their products are, however, far removed from the coarse illegal poitín produced in the past. Indeed, Bunratty is single distilled and only 40% or 45% ABV, far weaker than illegally distilled poitín, and comparable to vodka
. Knockeen Hills however, is available in various strengths from 60% to 90% ABV, varying from triple-distilled to quadruple-distilled.
began. A wash for 100 gallons of fresh water contained six stone (84 lb) of potatoes, six stone of sugar
and some yeast
. Stills were often set up on land boundaries so the issue of ownership could be disputed. Prior to the introduction of bottled gas, the fire to heat the wash was provided by turf
. In the Republic, smoke was a giveaway for the Gardaí (Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) in the North
), so windy, broken weather was chosen to disperse the smoke. The still was heated and attended to for several days to allow the runs to go through. In later years, the heat was provided by gas and this reduced discovery by police while distilling.
The quality of poitín was highly variable, depending on the skill of the distiller and the quality of his equipment. If poorly produced, it can contain dangerous amounts of methanol
and can blind or kill. In 2007, samples were found to contain chicken droppings.
Poitín is currently made in Wales
by the Celtic Spirit Company, which claims that it was produced throughout the Celtic lands.
and a large supply was at hand. Farmers often used it (and still do) as a cure for sick calves and other farm animals as well as a method of curing muscle cramp/problems. While not as widely used now, poitín is still available. It was common for communities to leave poitín distilling to widows to grant them a source of income. Poitín is also used in the Irish midlands as an alternative to deep heat
; it is commonly rubbed onto muscles to warm them.
in Irish poetry
and prose of the nineteenth century. The Irish critic Sinéad Sturgeon has demonstrated how the illegality of the substance became a crucial theme running through the works of Maria Edgeworth
and William Carlton. Many characters in the work of contemporary Irish playwright Martin McDonagh
consume or refer to poitín, most notably the brothers in The Lonesome West
. In the Saga of Darren Shan book The Lake Of Souls the character Spits Abrams brews his own poitín. In Frank McCourt
's book 'Tis
, he recalls his mother Angela telling him that when his brother Malachy
visited her in Limerick
, he obtained poitín in the countryside and drank it with her. She said they were lucky the Gardaí
did not arrest them all.
songs, such as The Hills of Connemara
and The Rare Old Mountain Dew
, deal with the subject of poitín. Poitín is mentioned in the song Snake With Eyes of Garnet by Shane MacGowan and The Popes
on their album The Snake. The song McIlhatton written by Bobby Sands
and performed by Christy Moore
is about a famous distiller of illegally-made poitín. Gaelic Storm
's song, Darcey's Donkey on the album What's the Rumpus?
deals in a humorous way with the consequences of being caught distilling poitín by the Garda.
The film Darby O'Gill and the Little People
features a drinking and limerick
contest between two characters (Darby, and King Brian of the Leprechauns). They drink a huge amount of poitín.
The first feature film to be made entirely in Irish
was called Poitín
(1979). The story involves an illegal distiller played by Cyril Cusack
, his two agents, and his daughter in Connemara
, in the remote west of Ireland.
In the BBC television show, Ballykissangel
, Paul Dooley is sentenced to 50 hours of community service for serving poitin made by Uncle Minto, Donal, and Liam.
In the 1996 film, The Last of the High Kings
, Frankie Griffin (Jared Leto) secretly spikes the punch offered up by his mother (Catherine O'Hara) at a political gathering at their home.
Déantús an Phoitín (Poteen Making), by Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín, is a one-hour documentary film on the subject.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
distilled
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
, highly alcoholic
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
beverage
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
(60%-95% ABV
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
). Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still
Pot still
A pot still is a type of still used in distilling spirits such as whisky or brandy. Heat is applied directly to the pot containing the wash or wine . This is called a batch distillation ....
and the term is a diminutive of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
word pota, meaning "pot". Traditionally distilled from malted barley
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
grain or potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, it is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world, and for centuries was illegal in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Legal status
Irish moonshineMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
, along with all other private distillation not specifically licensed by the state, was outlawed in 1661. On 7 March 1997, the Irish Revenue Commissioners
Office of the Revenue Commissioners
The Office of the Revenue Commissioners , - now called simply Revenue - is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters...
withdrew their opposition to poitín being sold under license in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Production for export has been allowed since 1989. Poitín remains illegal in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
however. In 2008, Irish Poitín was accorded (GI) Geographical Indicative Status
Geographical indication
A geographical indication is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin...
by the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Council
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
and Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Today, two distilleries in Ireland are officially licensed to produce poitín: Bunratty Mead and Liqueuer, and Knockeen Hills Poteen. Their products are, however, far removed from the coarse illegal poitín produced in the past. Indeed, Bunratty is single distilled and only 40% or 45% ABV, far weaker than illegally distilled poitín, and comparable to vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
. Knockeen Hills however, is available in various strengths from 60% to 90% ABV, varying from triple-distilled to quadruple-distilled.
Production
Poitín was generally produced in remote rural areas, away from the interference of the law. A wash was created and fermented before the distillationDistillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
began. A wash for 100 gallons of fresh water contained six stone (84 lb) of potatoes, six stone of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and some yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
. Stills were often set up on land boundaries so the issue of ownership could be disputed. Prior to the introduction of bottled gas, the fire to heat the wash was provided by turf
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
. In the Republic, smoke was a giveaway for the Gardaí (Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) in the North
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
), so windy, broken weather was chosen to disperse the smoke. The still was heated and attended to for several days to allow the runs to go through. In later years, the heat was provided by gas and this reduced discovery by police while distilling.
The quality of poitín was highly variable, depending on the skill of the distiller and the quality of his equipment. If poorly produced, it can contain dangerous amounts of methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
and can blind or kill. In 2007, samples were found to contain chicken droppings.
Poitín is currently made in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
by the Celtic Spirit Company, which claims that it was produced throughout the Celtic lands.
Usage
Producing poitín was a source of income for some, while for others it was produced for cheap alcoholic drinking. Poitín was popular at weddings and wakesWake (ceremony)
A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing...
and a large supply was at hand. Farmers often used it (and still do) as a cure for sick calves and other farm animals as well as a method of curing muscle cramp/problems. While not as widely used now, poitín is still available. It was common for communities to leave poitín distilling to widows to grant them a source of income. Poitín is also used in the Irish midlands as an alternative to deep heat
Deep Heat (Heat rub)
Deep Heat is a topical, rubefacient, heat rub manufactured by Mentholatum, common in the UK, Ireland and Australia and claim to relieve pains such as rheumatic pain, backache, lumbago and muscle sprains....
; it is commonly rubbed onto muscles to warm them.
Literature
Poitín is a tropeTrope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
in Irish poetry
Irish poetry
The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages, one in Irish and the other in English. The complex interplay between these two traditions, and between both of them and other poetries in English, has produced a body of work that is both rich in variety and difficult to...
and prose of the nineteenth century. The Irish critic Sinéad Sturgeon has demonstrated how the illegality of the substance became a crucial theme running through the works of Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth was a prolific Anglo-Irish writer of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the novel in Europe...
and William Carlton. Many characters in the work of contemporary Irish playwright Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh
Martin McDonagh is an Irish-British playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Although he has lived in London his entire life, he is considered one of the most important living Irish playwrights.-Life:...
consume or refer to poitín, most notably the brothers in The Lonesome West
The Lonesome West
The Lonesome West is a play by contemporary Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, part of his Connemara trilogy, which includes The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara...
. In the Saga of Darren Shan book The Lake Of Souls the character Spits Abrams brews his own poitín. In Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt
Francis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
's book 'Tis
'Tis
'Tis is a memoir written by Frank McCourt. Published in 1999, it begins where McCourt ended Angela's Ashes, his Pulitzer Prize winning memoir of his impoverished childhood in Ireland and his return to America.-Synopsis:...
, he recalls his mother Angela telling him that when his brother Malachy
Malachy McCourt
Malachy Gerard McCourt is an Irish-American actor, writer and politician. He was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor in New York State, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He is the younger brother of Frank McCourt.-Personal life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, McCourt was raised...
visited her in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, he obtained poitín in the countryside and drank it with her. She said they were lucky the Gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
did not arrest them all.
Music, visual, and dramatic arts
Many traditional Irish folkFolk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
songs, such as The Hills of Connemara
The Hills of Connemara
The Hills of Connemara is a traditional Irish folk song about Irish moonshine, or Poitín. In the song, the drink is referred to as "mountain tea" .- Recordings :* Four to the Bar on their live album Craic on the Road....
and The Rare Old Mountain Dew
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
-History:It was written by Edward Harrigan with music by Dave Braham, from the Irish drama The Blackbird. It was printed in "Irish street Ballads", 1916. It was later recorded under the title The Rare Old Mountain Dew. It is about the intoxicating properties of Irish moonshine, or Poitín...
, deal with the subject of poitín. Poitín is mentioned in the song Snake With Eyes of Garnet by Shane MacGowan and The Popes
Shane MacGowan and The Popes
Shane MacGowan and The Popes was a band formerly led by Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, who played a blend of rock, and Irish folk, sometimes referred to as Paddy Beat, borrowing from World Beat, a popular genre name in the 1980s. Shane MacGowan and the Popes released two studio and one live album in...
on their album The Snake. The song McIlhatton written by Bobby Sands
Bobby Sands
Robert Gerard "Bobby" Sands was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the United Kingdom Parliament who died on hunger strike while imprisoned in HM Prison Maze....
and performed by Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
is about a famous distiller of illegally-made poitín. Gaelic Storm
Gaelic Storm
Gaelic Storm is a Celtic band. Their music includes traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres...
's song, Darcey's Donkey on the album What's the Rumpus?
What's The Rumpus?
What's the Rumpus? is the seventh album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on July 8, 2008 and reached #177 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:All arrangements by Gaelic Storm.#"What's the Rumpus?" - 3:59...
deals in a humorous way with the consequences of being caught distilling poitín by the Garda.
The film Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Darby O'Gill and the Little People is a 1959 Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery and Jimmy O'Dea, in a tale about a wily Irishman and his battle of wits with leprechauns. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and its screenplay written by...
features a drinking and limerick
Limerick (poetry)
A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...
contest between two characters (Darby, and King Brian of the Leprechauns). They drink a huge amount of poitín.
The first feature film to be made entirely in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
was called Poitín
Poitín (Film)
Poitín was the first feature film to be made entirely in Irish. It was also the first recipient of a film script grant from the Arts Council of Ireland.-Plot:...
(1979). The story involves an illegal distiller played by Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
, his two agents, and his daughter in Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
, in the remote west of Ireland.
In the BBC television show, Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
, Paul Dooley is sentenced to 50 hours of community service for serving poitin made by Uncle Minto, Donal, and Liam.
In the 1996 film, The Last of the High Kings
The Last of the High Kings
The Last of the High Kings is a 1996 coming of age film set in Howth, Dublin, Ireland in the 1970s where the teenagers of the story are dealing with the birth of punk, the death of Elvis Presley and the various dramas of their teens. The lead role of Frankie Griffin is played by Jared Leto...
, Frankie Griffin (Jared Leto) secretly spikes the punch offered up by his mother (Catherine O'Hara) at a political gathering at their home.
Déantús an Phoitín (Poteen Making), by Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín, is a one-hour documentary film on the subject.